5 Realistic Summer Transfer Window Targets for Bayern Munich

It may only be February, but talk of who could be added to this all-conquering Bayern Munich side has already begun with regard to the club's plan for this summer's transfer window. 

Pep Guardiola is a man driven by perfection and will undoubtedly have a long list of players from across Europe and the wider world that he thinks would improve a team already bursting at the seams with talent.

As such, we've jotted down the five players who would definitely add something to the Bavarian juggernaut. They may seem a little far-fetched, but come the offseason, each and every one could and should be a transfer target for Guardiola.

Raphael Varane

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

Bayern need another central defender. Despite the fact they will undoubtedly walk to another league title and most definitely challenge for the Champions League again this season, Guardiola's squad has looked dangerously light in options across the back line all season. 

The former Barcelona manager trusts Jerome Boateng and has at times looked to Mehdi Benatia for inspiration, but besides them, we'd be hard-pressed to find a defender who can play competently at the heart of Guardiola's defence. 

As such, someone like Raphael Varane would suit the Bavarian club perfectly, as he has the pace and technique to thrive under the cunning perfectionist. Whether Real Madrid would be willing to part ways with the young talent is another story entirely. 

Paul Pogba

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This summer will undoubtedly bring with it an almighty battle for the signature of Juventus' Paul Pogba, with the biggest sides in European football likely to sit down and squabble over the midfielder.

One of those clubs will surely be this German giant, as Guardiola's team look to upgrade a central midfield that currently boasts Bastian Schweinsteiger and Xabi Alonso—two outstanding players but both approaching the twilight of their careers.

In Pogba, the Bavarian club could quite feasibly pick up a player who would have little trouble settling into the midfield and system Guardiola has so carefully created. He would be a star player who wouldn't look amiss in Bayern's squad.

Kevin De Bruyne

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Bayern have a habit of hoovering up the best talent in Germany. Whether it be Robert Lewandowski, Mario Gotze, Michael Ballack or one of the many others, the Bavarian giants are very efficient at spotting a talent and grabbing him before the rest of Europe becomes aware of his prowess. 

In Wolfsburg's Kevin De Bruyne, we have a playmaker who could potentially finish the year as the Bundesliga player of the season. With 11 goals and 14 assists in all competitions so far this campaign, according to Transfermarkt, the Belgium international looks like a leading star in Germany and would fit perfectly on the left wing of Bayern's attack when Franck Ribery decides to hang up his boots. 

Mauro Icardi

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It may seem odd to suggest that Guardiola's next move in the transfer market may be for a striker at Inter Milan, but Mauro Icardi is a player who may in fact be plenty of use to the Catalan coach. 

The 21-year-old Argentina international has been prolific in Italy this season—with 16 goals in 29 games so far, according to Transfermarkt—and could offer that sharp poacher's eye for goal Claudio Pizarro currently brings to the Bayern side.

The Peru striker is 36 years old, and Bayern will be desperate to find another poacher who can fill his role as the alternative to Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller. Icardi may just be that man. 

Cesc Fabregas

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OK, we admit it, the concept of Cesc Fabregas leaving Chelsea at this moment in time seems far too ludicrous to consider, but in the small Spain midfielder, Guardiola would undoubtedly find the perfect solution to his midfield problem. 

As we've already mentioned, Schweinsteiger and Alonso won't be around forever, and Thiago Alcantara seems like a player constantly hampered by injury, so the likelihood of the Bayern manager going shopping for a new central midfielder this summer is quite high.

In Fabregas, we have a player who already knows how to play under Guardiola, one who could sit at the heart of that midfield and dictate play with ease. Fabregas would be the perfect answer to the question the Catalan coach has been asking since he arrived in Munich; who do I trust to play my own position in this team?